Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-13
THE WEST SYSTEM
OF SEWERAGE EXPLAINED BEFORE
THE BOARD OF TRADE.
General Snyder, the Bill Nye, on Sewer
age TO the Point and
Entertaining.

The board of trade held a meeting yes
terday afternoon, converting at o'clock,
TO hear explanations of the West system of
sewerage from General William P. Snyder
of Philadelphia, attorney for the Pacific
Sewerage company, which puts in that
system, and also from Mr. A. NJ Jordan,
engineer for the company, and Mr.. Hatha-
way. superintendent of the system at At
lantic City.
Mr. A W. Oliver called the
meeting to order and briefly stated
the object, introducing Mr. Snyder,
who certainly knows how to talk sewerage
in way to be entertaining, overcoming
the apparent dullness OF the question. He
said: I've have been called by some of
your citizens to explain our system to you.
We are now here as representatives of the
Pacific system. If we fail to convince you
of the superior quality of our system we
have, outside of this feature of our trip,
seen enough and learned enough TO amply
pay us for the expense. Three weeks ago
was in Kansas City on my way home from
California and was told that you had
down here busted community.
No words were strong enough to
express the ''bustedness'' in their
estimation, of the town. Well, we have
seen your city, and the verdict is that we
have seen more than enough to convince
US that this is and ever will be the town of
Kansas"
Like most new enterprising cities, you
have neglected something that is due your
selves We are representing a system of
sewerage, and, if not considered good, we
will not in the least change our opinion of
the city. | was taken out yesterday by
Colonel Lewis and Mr. Mccormick. And,
by the way, | went to school with the
latter gentleman some years ago, and
knew his sweetheart and the one
ought to have married; but no, he must
endure his troubles all alone"
From the survey of your city / say
ours is the only system that will be a sue
cess in your city. Ours is not an expert
ment but reduced to a fact and can be seen
doing work in number of cities where
other systems and experiments have
failed"
Atlantic City is severed by the Pacific
sewerage company. 1t is the most perfect
severed city in the world. Many engineers
said it was impossible to sewer it, but we
put down well twenty feet deep thirty
feet wide with pumping station with thir-
teen miles of pipe conducting all
sewage to the well; raised TO an
elevation and then got rid of it. Five
years ago in Atlantic City the soil was so
saturated with Objectionable matter that
it was almost impossible to dig trench
for foundation. Fever and all diseases
coming from poorly severed town were
common. Physicians advised patients to
| leave. This state Of affairs was running
the finest sea side in the world We put
in our system there against the predictions
of many book worms and now what's the
Resulted, 000 people summer in Atlantic
City and do you suppose prop
erty is more valuable there now
than it was before we put III
the sewerage. Go to our pump station
there and see how beautifully it is kept
and how odorless it is. Can raise a trap
and stand within three feet of the sewage
and not detect anything offensive; the re-
suit of our perfect SYSTEM of ventilation"
You never did wiser thing than to get
a survey of the city. We can take the
data and with little cost give you com
plete plans of our system. We would
sewer your city and make your closets
as nice as your pariors. ask
Wichita people to send a committee TO ex-
anime our system. You will find our sys-
TEN most thorough disinfecting medium.
We will treat you right royalty and you
can inquire around the city concerning the
work Of the system.
Mr. Snyder closed his remarks by rela-
ting a most beautiful dream. which he
Il Il !, i.rbt haf 2
concerned the city, and called it the Watch
of Wichita, and somehow worked 1t in on
the first page of the Journal of Commerce
which is about to be.
Mr. Jordon was introduced to the board
and answered many leading questions put
at him He stated that in this city the
fall was about four feet per mile which
called for flush tanks and they were very
costly and unsatisfactory Their system
in this city gives seven feet per mile Civ
ing good drainage and no flush tanks
needed. The cost of the system would not
be more than any other system, as the
well and station machinery would
not cost more than the appliances to
/ overcome the little fall by the system sug-
gested by Rosewater & Christie's survey.
! The Pacific company puts in their sys-
| tenn for the city or owns it as company,
with parties who use it to pay certain
amount In Atlantic City each residence
was severed for s. per annum, collected
! the same as water or gas bills The COM
pany operates the system with no cost to
| the city. but cost TO those gaining benefit
as individuals.
The invitation for a committee 10 be
sent east to examine the system, ii is
thought. will be accepted. The dis
tinguished visitors left last night for St.
0uis